Grammar or Gaffe

Grammar can make a difference in how people can achieve their goals and make positive or negative impressions on people

who can have a profound effect on our lives. An intelligent person who have applied themselves to learning proper grammar will be exhibited when presenting one’s self, whether in words or written text. When a person takes the time to think about what they are going to say, or write, they will likely do it in the correct manner in which it needs to be presented. This will show people that you have the necessary skills to think through a process and have the end result that is correct. People often lack the ability to correctly use the words “to” and “too”. In written form, this in my personal opinion is such a lack of knowledge and thought. Too means also, to expresses motion, as in going to a place. These attributes of using proper grammar will make people appear well put together and not sloppy in their qualities. Not meaning to sound harsh or rude, but many times, bad grammar can make someone look and sound stupid, uneducated and unkempt. Personally I do not wish to appear that way and most anyone I know would not appreciate feeling less than adequate. Another gaffe in grammar that is often seen is the improper usage of “there “and “their”. There is a place or positional placement and their means ownership or pertaining to people. To a potential employer, grammar knowledge and usage can be the difference between being looked over for that important job or being hired and changing your entire life. Susan Adams, a writer for The Wall Street Journal, states that grammar can also demonstrate how organized a person is. I am positive an employer would want to have organizational skills in a new hire that they are considering employing. Kyle Wiens, owner of Ifixit.com, states he will absolutely not hire someone who uses bad grammar. He gives potential employees grammar test. Good grammar skills show creditability. With Ifixit.com, if someone writes an article on how to fix an item, are you likely to follow those directions if they are misspelled and formatted improperly? More than likely no one would want to trust one word of advice or tips from that entire website. If someone thinks through the process of their spoken words and verbalizes them properly, they are likely to master jobs and responsibilities on the job. If they punctuate and use proper grammar in written form, people can easily understand and absorb details.  Listening is also essential in good grammar because restating something that someone said is a good example in showing understanding and clarity in thoughts. Since the world is changing so quickly and affects how well we all communicate, it is a great idea to stick to fundamental proper grammar rules.

            Every day in businesses all around the world, there is an important assistant behind the scenes that keeps that executive up front on their “A” game, someone who organizes and supports all the staff in that said business. Sometimes it’s just the average business assistant or they can have specialty functions.  Administrative Assistants with medical specialty will utilize their usual business office skills but with the added twist of adding medical terminology and medical reports into the mix. Skills such as specific medical dialect and professional etiquette will go hand in hand.  Clerical and administrative duties will include a wide array of activities. Answering phones and also returning professional emails will be a basic part of all days in the office. Meetings and appointments have to be planned and could possibly fall in the lap of the administrative assistant on any given day. These could be appointments regarding medical tests or reports on such, or planning what the executive officers of the medical office have to do that day.  Having the knowledge to use Microsoft Office on the computer is a definite necessity along with the usual office procedural equipment such as printers, fax machines, and copiers. With medical files many times there is the needed additional knowledge of understanding ‘code”, or the special numbers that represent procedures so that the items can be billed. In addition, with medical specialty there could possibly be the use of transcription machine which will be used to translate into reports the dictated words from the doctors. With dictation, there is use of many abbreviations and words that are not in use by everyone every day. Specialty training on this medical terminology is a must and also a very large undertaking. You think English is tough, add the medical terminology words and how to abbreviate them all in to the mix, WHEW! The necessary skills of speaking clearly, speaking professionally, critical listening and critical thinking will be everyday skills to practice and perfect on a daily basis. Writing neatly and making critical notations could be the difference in an error that costs large sums of money. If you want to consider going into this field it would be beneficial to visit some offices, talk with some assistants and have some interests in the medical aspect of the job.

Verbal communication is the way we exchange information via words. In the business world, this can be conversations

that are serious in nature, such as those you have with coworkers, clients, and managers. Business presentations also fall under communication. In essence, communication includes a sender, a receiver, and the message itself.  Being successful in communication means the listener has heard and understood the message of the sender.

Listening actively means that a person makes a conscious effort to hear and understand what is being said. Hearing is very

different than listening.  It’s actually processing the information in the brain and not just by the ear.  Everyone can follow some tips to be an active listener. Maintaining eye contact with the speaker and also occasionally responding to let the speaker know that you are focused on what they are saying.  Stay in listening mode while being careful to not put yourself in the “if that were me I would say it this way..” mode. Do not interrupt someone who is speaking because that is a sign that you want to be the speaker and not listen.  Try to clearly understand what the main points are that are being presented. Also be attentive to body language and feelings along with the words.  Do not let distractions interfere and cause focus to be lost. If in a position to take notes, then do so. Asking questions is a good way to clarify misunderstood points and to make sure you have devoted the best possible attention to the speaker. Practice active listening in all aspects of life, not just professionally, but also at home and with friends and you will find success in professional communication.

Works Cited

            Adams, Susan. “Why Grammar Counts at Work.” Forbes. 20 July 2012. Web 9 Apr.

                        2016. <http://www.forbes.com.sites/susanadams/2012/07/20/why-grammar-

                        counts-at-work/>

            Wiens, Kyle. “I Won’t Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here’s Why.” Harvard

                        Business Review. 20 July 2012. Web 9 Apr. 2016 <https://hbr.org/2012/07/i-

                        won’t-hire-people-who-use-poo/>

"Summary." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Web. 13 Apr. 2016

<http://www.bls.gov/ooh/office-and-administrative-support/secretaries-and-administrative- assistants.htm>

            Fulton-Calkins, Patsy, Karin M. Stulz, and Patsy Fulton-Calkins. Procedures &

                        Theory for Administrative Professionals. Mason, OH: Thomson/South-Western,

                        2004. Print.